3 leftist rebels nabbed in Philippines

Three members of the leftist rebel group New People's Army (NPA) were captured at their lair in Northern Philippine province of Quezon Sunday afternoon, military said later that day. Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that troops from the military's elite 1st Special Forces Battalion swooped down at a house in Ilayang Palsabangon village, Pagbilao, a town in the Quezon Province, around 2:30 p.m., seizing three NPA members there. Burgos said the raid was conducted by the soldiers in response to the information from concerned civilians who reported that the house was being occupied by at least eight rebels, led by Alexander Sarmiento, alias Daniel. Burgos said that the identities of the captured rebels were not immediately known, and it was not clear if the three includes Sarmiento. The raid also resulted in the seizure of seven high- powered firearms, he added.